For those who care about my Holland/Belgium stint.

[WHITE]

Mick any pics of you in the Dutch Club Kit at the race? FB?

[RUBICON]

Looking for club kit ideas Whitey?

[Chicken]

You little beauty Mick.

Sounds like the personal chiro/ physio /masseuse has worked wonders 

Good luck Sunday

[csfive]

Mick any pics of you in the Dutch Club Kit at the race? FB?

Ill get a photo up on fb soon. Hows the cccc kit coming along white? Should just use the green one but change green to orange. Ha 

[PeZulu]

Zeer goed en goed gedaan Mick!

[Tildog]

You are a inspiration to us all Mick, keep up the good work, it's awesome!

[Hodgee]

You are a inspiration to us all Mick, keep up the good work, it's awesome!

Inspiration?? .............. Don't you think that is a little over the top Mike?

[RUBICON]

Come on Hodgee, you're MY inspiration   

We're racing C Grade at Veterans (gees I hate that term), I better get on the bike and practice being youre's and Yoni's domestique!

[csfive]

Just in from a club crit race, 75min+3 laps.

Crit was raced on another off road cycling specific crit course, 2.3km in length. massive head wind on the back rise and sweeping corners with no real technical sections (excluding the crosswinds section)

I was under the impression it was 60mins=3 laps but i must have read 'B' grade's race briefing.

Tonights race included some very strong guys including one of the Dutch's National Track team members, 4 time Olympian, Rabobank rider, Former world champion - Peter Schep.

This race was very different to my last one, instead of multiple attacks, it was a case of get on the front and drive it 40km/h into the wind and 52km/h with it. This tactic worked, splitting the bunch from 50 to 11 (same as last race) as i was rinding the race from the top 10 a was safely in the front split of 11. Here is my infamous time line:

0-35mins = bunch driving on front by Team Wilton (my Team) cracking 50 to a working front group of 11 (5 Wilton)

35-39mins = found myself off front for 2 laps with super, super strong dude. Got caught.....silly move  

40-45min = group of 11 working well.

46min = lapped remainder of bunch, as this happened i crept off the front with 2 other guys (super strong dude again)

47min - 1h5mins = working with other 2 thinking it was the winning break. lapped peloton for the second time.

1h6min - 1h10mins = Peter Schep gets on front of chase group of 8 and brings it back to me and other 2 out front. However, only 2 dudes could stick with him so our group was now 6 (4 wilton) with 5mins to the 3 lap to go board.

1h11mins - 1h15mins = group worked smooth but nervously.

1h15mins - 3 laps to go. I knew i had to be 1st or 2nd into the last corner...............but could not get there. Sprint hadnt started and I glanced down we were doing 57km/h, had to stick with position i had.

Final corner = Sitting 5th wheel into corner and could only manage to move up 1 more spot in sprint. Legs gave me nothing. Ha. Great day out with ride to race and home giving another solid 3.5hours.

For the record, Peter Schep finished just infront of me in 3rd. (super strong dude won)

Ill rest tomorrow, short sharp efforts Saturday (maybe race) and start (i do mean just start) the 200km Classic on Sunday.

Till then, ill send some of this Euro Summer over to the CCCC.

[Hodgee]

This race was very different to my last one, instead of multiple attacks, it was a case of get on the front and drive it 40km/h into the wind and 52km/h with it. This tactic worked, splitting the bunch from 50 to 11 (same as last race) as i was rinding the race from the top 10 a was safely in the front split of 11. Here is my infamous time line:

Now let's see Mick, if I take the 40kmh into the wind and add it to the 52kmh with it and if I divide it by 2 to get an average, wow I get 46kmh average.  There are only two people I know that could average that speed in a crit.

You and ......................

[Bex37]

Impressive effort 

[csfive]

Just a quick update from the weekend.

Lined up in the Ronde Van Limburg, a 200km epic held down in the South of Holland.

I say lined up because i ended up being one of the 110 DNF's of the 165 starters.

The race covered the famous climb up the Cauberg, that is the climb the Amstel Gold finishes on.

For me the race was the craziest experience i have witnessed on 2 wheels. A peloton of 165 just doesn't fit in small back streets of a Dutch country towns with roads 2mts wide. Every time we went through one of these streets there was a crash. I was a bundle of nerves for the majority of the race which took its toll until the short sharp climbs got the better of me. I continued on with other dropped riders and climbed the Cauberg just so i can say "I climbed the Cauberg"

To help give an understanding of the 165 strong S$$# fight, my aim was to get to the front (to get on camera  ) As i started this attempt i checked my computer and then when i got to the front i noticed that it took me 20km to do so. I spent about 2km of them on grass/roundabouts/ footpaths/bike paths/ driveways etc. My final move was BEHIND the crowd and over a massive gutter into first wheel, crazy fun!

My aim is to finish one of these Weekend 'classics' within a few weeks. Next attempt will be on Sunday with the 'Kersenronde van Mierlo', a 180k (3 60km laps)  race again in the south of Holland. Until then club racing, training and a midweek crit.

Speak soon,

Mick

[RUBICON]

Love it Mick. Sounds like you're having way too much fun. Enjoy

[Big Al]

Keep reports coming mick.

[csfive]

just in from a big session, 2 hours training before club crit (1h15mins + 3 laps) then ride home.

Race was fairly tame due to top dudes doing some km's beforehand & wet Crit circuit. Still a solid avg of 43km/h for the whole 1h25mins. But with only a few big attacks, and nothing threatening to stay away it was as criuzy as 43km/h avg can be.

The bloke who won last week superglued himself to my wheel so that was him taken care of and the rest went as simple as this:

0-30mins - steady, solid pace 2 big moves but each were brought back within 4-6mins each time.

30-45mins - started to splinter the bunch each time into the head wind but slowed again each time and ppl were happy to chase to shut the gaps but not go on with it, didn't bother me.

45-1h05mins - pace stayed steady but solid

1h05 - 1h15min - sedate pace waiting for sprint

3 laps to go - one bloke got to the front a drove it until 500mts to go. I was on his wheel (2nd wheel) but didnt have the legs in the jump to be first into corner. Once again i was 5th wheel into corner and once again only improved my position by one holding on for 4th.

Next week, i will attack earlier and be 1st or 2nd wheel into the final corner.

Speak soon.